City of Atlanta Statement Regarding Budget

Due to increased inquiries about the budget, Mayor Franklin offers the following statement.

Since January, this administration has held several public meetings to discuss the budget. I announced our findings to the City Council in a public meeting in January. The Chief Operating Officer, Greg Giornelli met with the Council again in March and I held another community meeting to openly discuss the budget with stakeholders. Closing this budget gap is a work in progress, and we will continue to answer questions and discuss the entire budget when it is released on May 1, 2008.

Personnel costs including benefits comprise 70% of the General Fund. As I have stated before, we are considering all of our options including a reduction in staff and services, outsourcing and consolidating services. Even in these tough economic times, I think we still have a responsibility to the taxpayers to stabilize the city’s finances and that is my continued commitment.